Asheville residents may have hunkered down for the holidays under a blanket of snow and ice, but across the region, the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Here’s what you may have missed over the Christmas holiday.

Asheville residents may have hunkered down for the holidays under a blanket of snow and ice, but across the region, the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Here’s what you may have missed over the Christmas holiday.
Although the number of craft distilleries in Western North Carolina has increased significantly in recent years, business owners say state legislation is still hampering the growth of burgeoning industry.
The brainchild of River Arts District bar manager Palmer Fox, new Apple iOS application Barley can cut the time it takes bartenders to complete the ABC ordering process by as much as 75 percent.
Expanded capacity at the Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s warehouse could mean local bartenders and restaurateurs will see increased availability of and dependable access to some hard-to-acquire spirits.
In response to our recent article (“Handcuffed: Asheville Bartenders Decry ABC Law Restrictions,” July 9 Xpress), General Manager Mark Combs of the local Alcoholic Beverage Control system had a few things to say.
North Carolina has always had a peculiar relationship with alcohol. Attorney Derek Allen, who represents many Asheville breweries, says, “We’re operating with these rules that were written post-Prohibition to make buying and consuming alcohol as difficult as possible. It’s just crazy to me!”